You are haunted by the war, reliving it every night in dreams of blood and death and confusion. When you wake up, the dregs of the nightmares are still there, with you every day. This was the life of Dr. John Watson before he met his roommate and friend, detective Sherlock Holmes.

Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the hit PBS show “Sherlock” is about the adventures of the singularly cold yet brilliant Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his reliable friend John Watson (Martin Freeman) in the modern world. The two solve crimes, as you would expect, but with a twist – most of them are masterminded by a mysterious villain, Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Many of the episodes are based on the original Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, such as “The Hounds of Baskerville,” based on The Hound of the Baskervilles, where, instead of going to the Baskervilles' house, Sherlock and John investigate a high-security military base called Baskerville to find out what really happened to Henry Knight's father.

Because the riveting original novellas were told from Watson's point of view, the show has him keep a blog of their adventures (www.johnwatsonsblog.co.uk). In another modern-day twist, when the characters text, instead of ugly close-ups of cell phones, the words appear on screen.

The show's only flaw may be the lack of content – just three one-and-a-half-hour episodes per season. Moffat, one of the producers, creators, and writers, is at the same time the executive producer of the popular TV show “Doctor Who,” which may be a factor.

Called a “cool and contemporary – if brutally rational – upgrade of Sherlock Holmes” by The New York Times, Cumberbatch's performance is unparalleled in any version of the famous series, and Freeman is the finest Watson I've seen. Apparently many agree; the show has received 30 awards, including a Golden Globe. The second season got 10 million views per episode when it was first broadcast in Britain.

Grab your magnifying glass – this show is worth a closer look.